The La Jolla Half Marathon Is a Saturday Race With a Mandatory Friday Expo

Overview

The La Jolla Half Marathon is Saturday, May 15, 2027, and the Runners Expo is Friday, May 14.

Two things about that sentence are unusual, and both change how you plan.

First: it's a Saturday race. Almost every half marathon in the country runs on a Sunday. This one doesn't — all three distances start at 6:30 a.m. on the Saturday, which means your Friday evening is the night before a race, not a free night.

Second, and this is the one that catches people out: the expo is not optional.

The organizers state it plainly — "You must attend the expo to pick-up your bib number and shirt." Friday, May 14, 9:00 a.m. to 7:00 p.m., at Ellen Browning Scripps Park in La Jolla. Full details are on the race's Runners Expo page.

There is exactly one escape hatch, and only for half marathoners: race-morning pickup at the Del Mar Racetrack, 5:15–6:30 a.m., for a $25 fee, cash or card on the day. 10K and 5K runners don't have a clean equivalent. A proxy can collect for you with a copy of their ID, but somebody has to be in that park on Friday.

So this is a two-day commitment for a one-morning race. Plan Friday around it.

And the immediate thing: prices go up at 11:59 p.m. on Friday, October 30 — four days from now.

The Price Ladder

The half marathon is on a published five-tier ladder, and it only goes one direction:

• Now through October 30, 2026 — $148.84
• October 31 to December 30, 2026 — $159.44
• December 31, 2026 to February 27, 2027 — $170.04
• February 28 to April 29, 2027 — $180.64
• April 30 to race morning — $191.24

That's a $42 difference between registering this week and registering on the start line. The 10K rises to $107.30 after October 30 as well.

If you already know you're doing this, Friday is the cheapest it will ever be. Registration is through RunSignUp.

The Course

The half starts at the Del Mar Fairgrounds and finishes at La Jolla Cove — a genuinely spectacular point-to-point, and a hard one.

It runs a coastal route, then climbs to the summit of Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve, then takes what the organizers call "rolling miles atop Torrey Pines Mesa" before dropping into La Jolla. Total elevation gain: 910 feet.

Two course facts worth knowing before you enter:

• There are no support stations inside Torrey Pines State Natural Reserve. The climb — the hardest part of the race — is the part without aid. Ten aid stations elsewhere, at miles 2, 3, 4, 5.5, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11.5 and 12, with the first-aid tent at mile 7.
• There's an Amtrak crossing near mile 2.9. Runners slower than 15-minute miles over the first three miles may have to wait for a train. That is not a joke and it is in the official course notes.

The shorter distances exist specifically to avoid the hill:

• The 10K "bypasses the 400ft climb" — it starts at the top of the mesa, on North Torrey Pines Road, and is net downhill. Six aid stations. It's billed as the inaugural running
• The 5K is "a mostly downhill course", the final 3.1 miles of the half route, starting at La Jolla Shores Drive and Horizon Way. Two aid stations

All three finish at Ellen Browning Scripps Park, 1100 Coast Blvd.

Time limits: half 3.5 hours (a 16-minute mile), 10K 2 hours, 5K 1 hour.

The Shuttle Is How This Works

Every distance finishes in La Jolla and starts somewhere else, so the shuttle isn't a convenience — it's the logistics of the whole race. All shuttles are complimentary.

• Half marathon: La Jolla Cove to the Del Mar start, 4:00–5:45 a.m. You must be in line by 5:00 a.m. Return shuttles from the finish back to the start run 8:30–11:00 a.m.
• 10K: Cove to the start, 4:30–5:45 a.m., in line by 5:00 a.m. No return shuttle
• 5K: Cove to the start, 4:30–6:00 a.m. No return shuttle

Read those times again if you're doing the half. In line by five in the morning, for a 6:30 start. This race begins in the middle of the night for most participants, and the shuttle cut-off is firmer than the start time.

Parking

• Expo (Friday): free street parking, primarily south of Prospect Street, plus paid garages on and near Prospect
• Half marathon race parking: the dirt lot across from the main Fairgrounds entrance. Arrive by 6:00 a.m. — and note this: there is no access to race parking between 6:15 and 7:00 a.m. Miss that window and you are locked out during the start
• 10K and 5K: there is no parking at the start. The site is explicit. Take the shuttle
• For shuttle riders, street parking around the Cove is on Draper, Eads, Fay, Girard, Herschel and Ivanhoe

Full shuttle times, lot locations and course maps are on the race's directions and parking page.

What You Get

• A collectible dry-tech race shirt, a finisher medal and a goodie bag
• Free post-race recovery services — massage, stretching, physical therapy and cold plunges
• A free download of your race photos, which plenty of races charge for
• A beer for registered runners 21 and over, limit three
• A referral discount link once you've registered

The expo itself is open to the public, with vendors and a Kiwanis Club of La Jolla booth — so spectators and family can come to Scripps Park on Friday too.

Where the Money Goes

The beneficiary is the Kiwanis Club of La Jolla, described on the race site as the La Jolla Kiwanis Foundation, "benefiting children and community programs." The club's own line is "Serving the children of the world."

Good to Know

• Register before 11:59 p.m. Friday, October 30 if you're doing this. The ladder only goes up.
• Block out Friday, May 14. The expo is mandatory, and it runs 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
• It's a Saturday race. Don't plan Friday night around a Sunday start.
• Be in the shuttle line by 5:00 a.m. for the half.
• If you're driving to the Del Mar start, be parked by 6:15. The lot shuts until 7:00.
• The climb has no aid. Carry what you need through Torrey Pines.
• The 10K is the smart entry point if the hill is what's putting you off — it starts above it.

Why It's Worth It

Point-to-point races are rare, and point-to-point races that finish at La Jolla Cove are rarer still. You start at a racetrack in Del Mar in the dark, climb Torrey Pines as it gets light, run the mesa, and come down into the Cove.

It costs 910 feet of climbing and a 4 a.m. alarm. For a lot of runners that's the best morning of their year.

And if it isn't yours, the 5K runs the last 3.1 miles of it, mostly downhill, and finishes in exactly the same place.

For more of what's on, browse our full event calendar.